Squad news

THINKING OF REAL MURCIA

07 Feb 2014Fernando Vázquez loses Juan Dominguez and is pending to know the state of Marchena and Antonio Núñez. The rival is living a crisis of results and only has sixteen players available for Sunday, this due to the injuries and suspensions.

Mixed news for coach Fernando Vázquez ahead of Sunday’s meeting against Real Murcia (Nueva Condomina stadium, 18h15 CET). First to all he’s losing centre midfielder Juan Dominguez after he was sent off in the past game against CE Sabadell CF. The club appealed the decision and it was already rejected by the Competition Committee.

Meanwhile, centre-back Carlos Marchena (adductor) and winger Antonio Núñez (muscle injury) returned to train on this week, but at this point it’s unknown if the coach will pick them for the game. Marchena returned to train on Tuesday and on the same day Vázquez said that his presence on Sunday’s game would depend on the players’ feeling throughout the week.

On that same press conference the Galician coach told to reporters that Núñez had small options of been picked for the trip to Murcia as he didn’t want to risk the player. Still, one day later the winger joined the group and seemed recovered, though he hasn’t received the medical okay to play.

The four players that are already out of the game due to injury reasons are winger Álvaro Lemos, goalkeeper German Lux (both knee), striker Luis Fernández (hip) and right-back Manuel Pablo (muscle strain). Lemos is completing big part of the training sessions, but won’t be fit to play until March. Captain Manuel Pablo and Luis are currently training at the gym, while Lux is resting.

If Marchena and Núñez are in the end picked for the game then Vázquez will have exactly eighteen players available for the game: seventeen from the first team plus Fabril’s keeper Marc Martínez. If the duo remains out then Vázquez will have to pick two additional players from Depor B in order to fill up the gaps. On this week only playmaker Bicho and goalkeeper David Gómez trained with the first squad.

To mention that the week was really quiet at Abegondo, totally different to what happened last week with the last-minute exits and arrivals. The first team rested on Sunday and Monday, centre-back Albert Lopo trained on those days in order to gain shape. Striker Toché and winger Ibrahim Sissoko joined the Catalan player on Monday, day in which the trio worked at the gym.

The only two things that disturbed the calm was the gastric problem of Luisinho that sidelined the player from Tuesday’s training –he’s already recovered- and the big storm that affected A Coruña on Thursday, reason why the team switched the normal training pitch for an indoor pitch in A Grela.

Lopo, Sissoko & Toché working on Monday at the gym

On Tuesday, Albert Lopo completed his first training session with the team

Marchena joined the trainings on Wednesday

Luisinho leaving Tuesday’s session due to a gastric problem. He will be fit to play on Sunday

Bicho marking Rabello during Tuesday’s training. Bicho is the only field player of Fabril training with the first team

Núñez joined the trainings on Wednesday

The first team training at the indoor pitch in A Grela

At Real Murcia, coach Julio Velázquez is in the middle of a crisis. His team has only won one of the last fifteen games and there are big problems to prepare the lineup due to the injuries and suspensions. The Murcians were dragging the injuries of left-back Óscar Sánchez (knee) and centre-back Alberto Sansimena, ‘Tete’ (adductor stress) and on last weekend they suffered other two casualties.

Argentine centre-back Mauro Dos Santos had to be replaced with a muscle injury leaving his team with nine men as they were no more changes, while the other centre-back, Joan Guillem Truyols, was sent off with two yellow cards and is now suspended for the match against Depor.

So, there are four casualties and the squad is only composed by 20 players as the club was blocked to make signings during the winter window –unpaid wages to the players- in this way Velázquez only has 16 players available for Sunday. The biggest problem is that he only has one centre-back available, reason why he will have to improvise.

To make things worse four players suffered food intoxication during last weekend’s trip to Ponferradina, one of them, Pedro Alcalá, even needed a serum, who by the way is the only centre back that remains at the first team. In any case it’s expected that he will be fit to play against Deportivo.